Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools A Guide for Teachers and Practitioners

CHAPTER 11: on THE mAT: foRmAl YogA PRACTICES foR SElf-REgulATIon And EngAgEmEnT • 259

CloSE: Closing

Herrington (2012) suggests having students check back in (scale of 1 to 10) to bring an
awareness to the shift that has occurred during yoga practice. Transition out of the session
is as important as transition into it (Childress & Harper, 2015). Have students complete the
session by moving through the end-of-session sequence (e.g., mats put away, straps and
blocks put away, shoes on, and desks back into place). The re-setting of the room can be part
of the mindful movement conducted in class.
There are many, many more poses: Frog Pose, Side Plank, Starfish, Gate, Shark Pose,
Fish, Mermaid Pose, Splits, Plow Pose, Hero Pose, Rabbit Pose, and more (see Flynn, 2013).
Accordingly, there are many guides for instruction in asana practice for adults and chil-
dren. These include texts and videos (see Anderson & Sovik, 2000; Cook-Cottone, Kane,
Keddie, & Haugli, 2013; Flynn, 2013; Gillen & Gillen, 2007; Harper, 2013; Herrington, 2012;
McCall, 2007; Stephens, 2010; Walsh, 2008). Yoga Journal (www.yogajournal.com) offers free
access to detailed descriptions of nearly all known yoga poses, instruction for sequencing a
class, sample classes, and boundless information on yoga. Yoga journals’ pose descriptions
offer instruction on yoga poses including step-by-step instructions, tips, and contraindica-
tions for each pose. See also these texts for more yoga poses for students: Flynn (2013) Yoga
for Children: 200+ Yoga Poses, Breathing Exercises, and Meditations for Healthier, Happier, More
Resilient Children (pp. 104 to 201), and Harper (2013), Little Flower Yoga for Kids: A Yoga and
Mindfulness Program to Help Your Child Improve Attention and Emotional Balance (pp. 84 to 119).

bREATH woRk

“Without awareness of breathing, there is no yoga” (Sovik, 2005, p. 11). Flynn (2013)
says it this way, “Breathing is arguably the single most important aspect of yoga” (p. 80).
In yoga breathing, the breath is used to calm and strengthen the nervous system and
enhance concentration (Anderson & Sovik, 2000; Cook-Cottone, 2015; Flynn, 2013;
Gillen & Gillen, 2007). The typical tempo of breath is slow, averaging about 16 breaths a
minute (Anderson & Sovik, 2000). The rate of breathing varies throughout the day in ser-
vice of your autonomic nervous system, as well as your intentional direction of the breath

Pose Resting Pose

Instruct Lie down on your back and extend your legs. Place your arms along the sides of

your body and face your palms up toward the ceiling. Soften and release from your

feet to the crown of your head. Soften or close your eyes.

Anchor

Point

The anchor point is the belly and heart. With your eyes closed, or softened gaze, your

focal point is internal awareness.

Breath

Work

Allow the breath to be steady, soft, and natural.

Photograph by Madison Weber; model Kayla Tiedemann.
Source: Curran, 2013; Flynn, 2013; Harper, 2013; Walsh, 2008)